The invention is in the field of air supply systems for scuba divers, and particularly pertains to the problem of providing air to the diver in a safe and comfortable manner, while at the same time freeing the mouth so that the diver can speak into a microphone attached to a transmitter.
A diver without a microphone utilizes a mouthpiece which fits into the mouth and is gripped by the teeth, with a flange between the lips and teeth to securely hold the mouthpiece in place. This enables the natural, perfect sealing power of the lips to achieve the seal around the airpipe extending from the mouthpiece. This is a very effective time-tested manner of providing breathable air to the diver in a virtually fool-proof and fairly comfortable manner.
However, if the diver must communicate with other divers, a surface boat or a transponder bouy, clearly he must have freedom of movement of his mouth and jaw, so that the mouthpiece system is no longer acceptable.
There are currently several units on the market which solve this speaking 11 breathing problem by replacing the mouthpiece with a sealing cup which fits over the mouth, defining a breathing chamber into which the diver both breaths and speaks. However, when this is done, the naturally perfect sealing ability of the lips must be replaced by the sealing capability of a split rubber lip which seals the edges of the sealing cup against the flesh surrounding the mouth.
This system works as long as the seal holds, but should the diver bump against something and break the seal, the breathing chamber quickly fills with water and the diver is in trouble. There is no mechanism built into these systems that is effective in either preventing this from happening, or easily purging the water once it has entered the breathing chamber. These units are also uniformly bulky, uncomfortable and unattractive. They are held in place by a separate strap around the head which creates an uncomfortable, gangly situation for the diver inasmuch as he must also have his mask and mask strap on. No mouthpiece is provided in the event the unit becomes dislodged or the headstrap breaks. Further, because they are uniformly of one-piece construction, they do not accomodate the different-sized faces and mouths of different divers.
There is a need for a diver's breathing system which solves the above-stated problems, and in particular provides a safety system enabling the diver to quickly insert a mouthpiece into his mouth should the sealing cup which defines the breathing chamber become flooded.